Mulberry

Today I’m very excited to share an incredible and interesting fruit with you. This fruit is the backbone of the silk industry and is an incredible food source for humans and animals alike.

Let’s dig into it.

Plant Profile:

Scientific Name: Morus alba, Morus nigra, Morus rubra

Preferred Habitat: Edges of forests, urban lots, backyard gardens,

Edible Parts: Leaves, fruit

Distribution: Most of North America will have some species of mulberry

Harvest Season: Midsummer (Usually around mid-June to mid-July for me)

Key Identifiers: Blackberry-like fruits hanging from a tree is your biggest key identifier.

Toxic Look-Alikes: There are no toxic look alikes to mulberry species! If you see a blackberry-like fruit hanging on a tree, you’ve found a mulberry tree. Before they fruit, the leaves can sometimes look like basswood leaves (also edible) or slippery elm (medicinal) so there is no danger that I am aware of.

Nutrition (per 100g):

• Calories: 43

• Water: 88%

• Protein: 1.4g

• Carbs: 9.8g

• Sugar: 8.1g

• Fiber: 1.7g

• Fat: 0.4g

• High in vitamin C

• High in Iron

• Contains vitamin K1

• Contains potassium

• Contains vitamin E

• High in antioxidants

Misconceptions

Before we go any further, I want to clear a few things up about mulberry:

There are three main species (although there are more than that) found in North America and each is slightly different.

M. alba or “white mulberry” is by far the most common and the one I have the most experience with. Contrary to what you may think, the white mulberry does not get its name from the color of the fruit. White mulberries may start out white when unripe (as do other mulberries) but they do eventually turn red, then dark purple/black.

This species is also dioecious meaning the male and female parts required to reproduce are on separate plants, not the same plant like other mulberries. This means that you may find male plants (which are quite common) that do not have any fruit on them whatsoever. Female trees are what you are after!

In my limited experience the only way to tell is by seeing if it has flowers or fruit during the appropriate seasons.

M. nigra the “black mulberry” and M. rubra the “red mulberry” are less common, but both are monoecious (they have male and female parts on the same plant and will set fruit regardless).

Black and red mulberry tend to have more flavor, but in the wild it really depends on what tree you pick from. I have found white mulberry trees that produce very tasty fruits that are sweet and semi-tart, but I have found trees not far away that will taste blander and watery.

To make matters more complicated, the often-invasive white mulberry has hybridized with red and black mulberries in many places which creates new types. Many cultivated varieties are crosses between white, red, and/or black!

Some of these cultivars actually do have white fruit when ripe which makes the name “white mulberry” kind of misleading.

The leaves of M. alba are deeply lobed when young, and slowly get more rounded with serrated edges. They also have an almost glossy appearance.

The leaves of M. rubra and M. nigra tend not to have the deep lobes that young white mulberry trees have. They also have more of a sandpaper texture rather than glossy.

History

Most ancient cultures cultivated the mulberry tree. It is distantly related to figs and both M. nigra and M. alba have been cultivated throughout Asia, the latter for the silk industry. Mulberry leaves (specifically those of M. alba) are the sole food of the silkworm.

Because of the silk trade, mulberries were eventually grown by the Romans who then brought them to Northern Europe and Britain. By the 1700s Europeans were using the root of the mulberry tree to get rid of tapeworms, and not until the Tudor times did they start appreciating the fruits of the tree.

Later King James I wanted to start competing with France in silk making. He brought in over ten thousand mulberry trees and planted them in lavish gardens for the silkworms but this ultimately failed since he brought in the wrong kind of mulberry tree (M. nigra rather than M. alba).

In 1733 this was attempted again by General Oglethorpe with white mulberry in the then British colony of Georgia to encourage silk trade.

Use

I have enjoyed eating handfuls of mulberries, putting them on top of oatmeal, and making jam with them. They are a fantastic food!

The flavor is reminiscent of a blackberry or raspberry but with a sweet refreshing taste that reminds me of fresh fig or honeydew.

They make a great fruit for desserts and go well in smoothies, yogurts, and pair well with honey, cheeses, and more tart flavors. They also are great in granolas, dried like raisins, juiced, fermented, or made into jellies and jams.

Livestock (chickens and pigs especially) also like mulberries making them a good fodder crop!

The leaves are also edible, although I would recommend eating them cooked not raw as they have an unpleasant texture when raw and can irritate some people’s throats.

Growth

By far my favorite thing about mulberries is how fast they grow!

When I was a kid, there was a male white mulberry growing next to the house. Once it got around 10ft tall or so, my mom cut it down to the ground in the fall. The following year, it grew back to 12ft+ in one season!

They are vigorous growers that want to stay alive and, in my view, that’s what makes a good food source.

Mulberries typically only take around 2-3 years to start bearing fruit after planting as a seedling which is quite fast for a fruit tree!

Since they grow so quickly, mulberries also lend themselves well to espalier pruning techniques.

Now for my favorite part, I get to recommend cultivated varieties to you to start growing:

• Illinois Everbearing - A Midwest mulberry that produces until fall. Has good vigor and flavor!

• Pakastani - A warm-climate mulberry with extra-long fruits!

• Silk Hope - A southern variety with excellent resistance and flavor.

• Early Bird - A white-red cross that ripens earlier than most varieties.

• Miss Kim - A wild seedling with large fruits and good flavor adapted to the southeast.

• Trader - A German heirloom. The original tree was planted in North Dakota and has been bearing fruit for over a century! The flavor is good, it has an extended harvest window, and the fruits are larger than most.

• California White - A true, white-fruited variety with medium size and sweetness.

NOTE: The white-fruiting mulberries tend to have less flavor but also will not stain your driveways. If that is important to you, consider getting a white-fruiting cultivar!

One Green World

Trees of Antiquity

Humble Abode Nursery

The American Fig Co.